Lough Ine

Illkillya

I saw on the link that jd posted www.beach-caster.com they got a gurnard in Lough Ine (also called Lough Hyne) outside Skibbereen. For west cork shore this is an unusual catch, but I know other people caught gurnards there also. Not just that, but there have been more unusual stuff caught there - trigger fish for one.

Its hard to describe how unusual this place is... its surreal. It is a 1km lake connected to the atlantic by a narrow channel of rapids. This means it has its own unique tides - the tidal range within the lough is 1m. Salinity does not normally fall below 34%, because the fresh water is constantly running off. Marine biologists love this place, the last fish I caught there was a dogfish with a tag on him.

People don't fish there often, so you'll be the only person there, sitting in the shade of a steeply sloping oak forest you'd think you're trout fishing inland, until you look under the water - crystal clear but a couple of feet out theres a sheer drop, a wall of thick seaweed suggesting at the depth of the lake - up to 45m deep, which is very deep for somewhere thats within a child's casting distance... and you'll soon notice it when your weight takes forever to hit the bottom, where you'll get big fish like conger. Its very quiet and peaceful since you're shaded by the trees, and the hills.

I can't find any picture online that does the place justice... heres the closest:

I remember reading a good poem that conveys its tranquility, by an Irish poet called Fitz-james O'Brien... can't find it anywhere though.

Anyway, if you're in Skibbereen area you must go there... has anybody fished here before? Caught anything interesting? Does anybody else know of any unusual venues like this one? I can think of a few more places, but nothing that compares to this place.

Joan Martin

Hi,
You've been looking for the words to the poem on Lough Ine - its on my website blog at http://www.ballyhoocottages.com/main/page_blog.html
under April 2010.
Joan